Glass hand truck

ABSTRACT

A hand truck includes a frame, a handle attached to a rear side of the frame, a platform extending from a front side of the frame, a plurality of feet attached to an underside of the platform, at least one support member attached to the front side of the frame, and an axle supporting a plurality of wheels, wherein the axle is attached to the frame. The hand truck may include a standing configuration and a mobile configuration. In the standing configuration, the plurality of wheels and at least one of the plurality of feet contact a ground surface to support the hand truck such that the platform is arranged at an oblique angle with respect to the ground surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/615,127 filed on Jun. 6, 2017, the contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The field of the invention relates to hand trucks for carrying large orcumbersome objects.

BACKGROUND

Many people transport equipment or other objects in a delivery vehiclebut require a way to transport the equipment or other objects beyondwhere the delivery vehicle travels. For example, large objects such aspanes of glass must be transported from a parking area to a differentlocation within a facility or building. A solution is to bring a handtruck in the delivery vehicle. Existing devices often fail to provide anefficient folding mechanism, acceptable ergonomics, and/or sufficientcapacity for large cumbersome objects. There is a need for improveddevices and methods for hand trucks designed for large cumbersomeobjects.

SUMMARY

The terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “thepresent invention” used in this patent are intended to refer broadly toall of the subject matter of this patent and the patent claims below.Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit thesubject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of thepatent claims below. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patentare defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is ahigh-level overview of various aspects of the invention and introducessome of the concepts that are further described in the DetailedDescription section below. This summary is not intended to identify keyor essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intendedto be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. The subject matter should be understood by reference toappropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any orall drawings and each claim.

According to certain embodiments of the present invention, a hand truckcomprises: a frame; a handle attached to a rear side of the frame; aplatform extending from a front side of the frame; a plurality of feetattached to an underside of the platform; at least one support memberattached to the front side of the frame; and an axle supporting aplurality of wheels, wherein the axle is attached to the frame, wherein:the hand truck comprises a standing configuration and a mobileconfiguration; and in the standing configuration, the plurality ofwheels and at least one of the plurality of feet contact a groundsurface to support the hand truck such that the platform is arranged atan oblique angle with respect to the ground surface.

According to certain embodiments of the present invention, a hand truckcomprises: a frame comprising a left ‘U’ shaped member and a right ‘U’shaped member; a platform attached to a front side of the left ‘U’shaped member and to a front side of the right ‘U’ shaped member; aplurality of feet attached to an underside of the platform; and an axlesupporting two wheels, wherein the axle is attached to the frame,wherein: the hand truck comprises a standing configuration and a mobileconfiguration; and in the standing configuration, the two wheels and atleast one of the plurality of feet contact a ground surface to supportthe hand truck such that the platform is arranged at an oblique anglewith respect to the ground surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a hand truck according to certainembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the hand truck of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the hand truck of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a right side perspective view of the hand truck of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a partial right side perspective view of the hand truck ofFIG. 1.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are partial rear perspective views of the hand truck ofFIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is describedhere with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but thisdescription is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of theclaims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, mayinclude different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction withother existing or future technologies. This description should not beinterpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among orbetween various steps or elements except when the order of individualsteps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described.

FIGS. 1-6B illustrate embodiments of a hand truck 100. FIG. 1 shows thehand truck 100 holding at least one pane of glass 10 being manipulatedby a user 11. The hand truck 100 may include a frame 101, a handle 102attached to a rear side of the frame 101, a platform 110 on a forwardside of the frame 101, at least one support member 121-123 on theforward side of the frame 101, and at least one wheel 145, 146. The handtruck 100 may include a standing configuration (see, e.g., FIG. 2) wherethe hand truck 100 can stand upright while supporting a large object(such as at least one pane of glass 10) with minimal risk of tippingover. In the standing configuration, the hand truck 100 contacts theground in at least three locations including each wheel 145, 146 and atone location on the underside of the platform 110 (i.e., at least one ofthe feet 111-114 contact the ground). The hand truck 100 may alsoinclude a mobile configuration (see, e.g., FIG. 1) where the user 11pivots the hand truck 100 about the axle 141 such that the platform 110(and the feet 111-114) do not contact the ground and the hand truck 100can roll via the wheels 145, 146 and the axle 141. The user 11 typicallysupports the hand truck 100 using at least one of the handle 102 and theframe 101 in the mobile configuration. References to a “wheel” hereinare meant to include (i) a combination of a wheel and pneumatic orsemi-pneumatic tire, (ii) a combination of a wheel and a solid rubbertire, (iii) a tire with a solid or non-removable hub, or (iv) any otherappropriate wheel and/or tire.

In some embodiments, the frame 101 includes a left member 103, a rightmember 104, a lower plate 132, an upper plate 133, and at least one rearbrace member 107, 108. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the left member 103may be formed from a single component that is bent or formed in a ‘C’ or‘U’ shape having a curved portion 105, a front portion 103.1, and a rearportion 103.2. In some embodiments, the front portion 103.1, the rearportion 103.2, and/or the curved portion 105 are separate componentsthat are attached to one another (e.g., by welding, mechanicalfasteners, chemical fastening, or any other appropriate method).Although the curved portion 105 is shown at the top of the left member103, the curved portion 105 may be arranged at the bottom of the leftmember 103, and the curved portion 105 may have any other appropriateshape (e.g., including a straight segment between the front portion103.1 and the rear portion 103.2). As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the rightmember 104 may be formed from a single component that is bent or formedin a ‘C’ or ‘U’ shape having a curved portion 106, a front portion104.1, and a rear portion 104.2. In some embodiments, the front portion104.1, the rear portion 104.2, and/or the curved portion 106 areseparate components that are attached to one another (e.g., by welding,mechanical fasteners, chemical fastening, or any other appropriatemethod). Although the curved portion 106 is shown at the top of theright member 104, the curved portion 106 may be arranged at the bottomof the right member 104, and the curved portion 106 may have any otherappropriate shape (e.g., including a straight segment between the frontportion 104.1 and the rear portion 104.2).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lower plate 132 may be a flat plate witha flange on at least one edge and may be attached to the front portion103.1, the rear portion 103.2, the front portion 104.1, and the rearportion 104.2. Similarly, the upper plate 133 may be a flat plate with aflange on at least one edge and may be attached to the front portion103.1, the rear portion 103.2, the front portion 104.1, and the rearportion 104.2. In some embodiments, the lower and upper plates 132 and133 each include (i) flanges that extend upward at their respective sideedges (i.e., between the front and rear portions of the frame 101) and(ii) flanges that extend downward at their respective front/rear edges(i.e., between the left member 103 and the right member 104). The lowerand upper plates 132 and 133 increase stability of the frame 101 andreact shear loads.

The platform 110 is attached to the front portion 103.1 of the leftmember 103 and the front portion 104.1 of the right member 104. As shownin FIG. 2, the platform 110 includes a lower portion 110.1 and anupright portion 110.2. In some embodiments, the lower portion 110.1 ispivotably attached to the upright portion 110.2 such that the lowerportion 110.1 has a deployed position (as shown in the drawings) and aretracted position (not shown) where the lower portion 110.1 folds upand against the frame 101 when the hand truck 100 is stored or not beingused (see rotation direction R in FIG. 2). The lower portion 110.1 maybe covered in rubber to grip objects (such as panes of glass 10) and mayalso include a protrusion 115 to prevent objects from sliding off thelower portion 110.1. The protrusion 115 may be thermoplasticpolyethylene or any other appropriate material. In some embodiments,when the lower portion 110.1 is in the deployed position, the frame 101and the lower portion 110.1 form an acute angle, which along with theprotrusion 115, prevents objects from sliding off the lower portion110.1. In other words, when the lower portion 110.1 rotates from thedeployed position to the retracted position, the rotation angle is lessthan 90°. The platform 110 may be arranged at a 90° angle relative tothe frame 101 where the mounting structure for the axle 141 is attachedto the frame 101 at an oblique angle (see description of axle mountmembers 143 and 144 below) such that the platform 110 is not parallel tothe ground when the hand truck 100 is in the standing configuration. Insome embodiments, the lower portion 110.1 may include a biasingmechanism (including, for example, one or more of a detent, a spring, orany other appropriate mechanism) that biases the lower portion 110.1toward at least one of the deployed position and the retracted position.

To support the hand truck 100 in the standing configuration, theunderside of the lower portion 110.1 includes at least one foot thatinterfaces with the ground to secure the hand truck 100 (see FIG. 1). Insome embodiments, to match the acute angle described above, the twofront feet 111 and 112 (closer to the outer edge of the lower portion110.1) are taller than the two rear feet 113 and 114 (closer to theframe 101). The feet 111-114 may include a compliant material thatensures sufficient grip when the feet engage the ground. The feet111-114 may also include a durable material. The feet 111-114 also raisethe platform 110 off the ground to provide clearance between the object(such as a pane of glass 10) and the ground. In some embodiments, thefeet 111-114 provide a clearance between the bottom of the platform 110and the ground of at least 1″.

On the front side of the frame 101, the hand truck 100 includes at leastone support member. In some embodiments, as illustrated in the drawings,the hand truck 100 includes three support members 121, 122, and 123.However, the hand truck 100 may include any number of support memberssuch as two, four, five, or more. The lower support member 121 isattached to the front portion 103.1 of the left member 103 and the frontportion 104.1 of the right member 104. The lower support member 121 maybe attached at approximately the same height as the wheels 145, 146 and,as shown in the figures, the lower support member 121 may be attachedabove the axle 141 (when viewed from the front or rear).

The middle support member 122 is attached to the front portion 103.1 ofthe left member 103 and the front portion 104.1 of the right member 104.The middle support member 122 may be attached at approximately half thevertical height of the frame 101 and/or may be attached approximatelyhalf way between the lower support member 121 and the upper supportmember 123.

The upper support member 123 is attached to the front portion 103.1 ofthe left member 103 and the front portion 104.1 of the right member 104.The upper support member 123 may be attached at or near the connectionbetween the curved portions 105, 106 and the front portions 103.1,104.1, respectively.

The length of the support members 121-123 may be approximately equal to(i) the width of the platform 110 or (ii) the total width between theouter surfaces of the two wheels 145, 146. However the length of thesupport members 121-123 may be any appropriate size ranging from (i) thedistance between the front portion 103.1 of the left member 103 and thefront portion 104.1 of the right member 104 to (ii) a multiple of thewidth of the platform 110. In other words, the support members 121-123may be as long as 1.5× the width of the platform 110, 2× the width ofthe platform 110, 3× the width of the platform 110, 5× the width of theplatform 110, or any other appropriate length needed to accommodatelarge panes of glass 10. The support members 121-123 may be a flexibleor compliant material for interfacing with objects such as panes ofglass 10. In some embodiments, as shown in the drawings, the supportmembers 121-123 may each be members having a box or “C” cross section,which are configured to attach replaceable and/or sacrificial componentssuch as padding members 124, 125, and 126, respectively. The paddingmembers 124-126 may be a flexible or compliant material such as rubberor plastic and have a length that is equal to or longer than the lengthof the support members 121-123. The padding members 124-126 may attachto the support members 121-123 using adhesive, mechanical fasteners(such as vertically extending pins), and/or any other appropriateattachment.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower rear brace member 107 and the upperrear brace member 108 are each attached to the rear portion 103.2 of theleft member 103 and the rear portion 104.2 of the right member 104. Ahandle 102 attaches to the lower rear brace member 107 and the upperrear brace member 108. The handle 102 may be a single piece extendingbetween the lower rear brace member 107 and the upper rear brace member108 (as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) or may be multiple components attachedto one another. As shown in FIG. 3, the handle 102 may have straightsegments extending rearward from the rear brace members 107, 108 and acurved portion that is approximately semicircular or may have any otherappropriate shape (such as oval, square, rectangular, triangular, etc.).The handle 102 extends rearward from the frame 101 to allow the user 11to secure the hand truck 100 in the mobile configuration. The handle 102allows the user 11 to carry an object (such as a pane of glass 10) thatis taller than the user 11 (i.e., the offset of the handle 102 allowsthe user 11 to step rearward from the frame 101).

The hand truck 100 may include a strap 135 and articulating rod 131 forsecuring objects to the hand truck 100 (see FIGS. 1-5). As shown in FIG.1, the strap 135 is wrapped around an object (such as a pane of glass10) and each end of the strap 135 is attached to the articulating rod131. After the strap 135 is looped around the object, the handle 136 maybe used to rotate the articulating rod 131. Due to the cammed profile ofthe articulating rod 131, rotation causes the strap 135 to be pulled intension around the object. As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the articulating rod131 extends between the lower plate 132 and toward and through the upperplate 133 where the handle 136 of the rod 131 is disposed above theupper plate 133. There may be a bracket 134 attached to an upper side ofthe upper plate 133 that secures the articulating rod 131. In someembodiments, each of the lower and upper plates 132 and 133 are attachedto the front and rear portions of the left member 103 and of the rightmember 104.

As shown in the drawings, the hand truck 100 may include axle mountmembers 143 and 144. The left axle mount member 143 attaches to at leastone of the front portion 103.1 and the rear portion 103.2 of the leftmember 103. Similarly, the right axle mount member 144 attaches to atleast one of the front portion 104.1 and the rear portion 104.2 of theright member 104. In some embodiments, the left axle mount member 143and the right axle mount member 144 are mirror images of one another.The axle mount members 143 and 144 extend rearward to attach axle 141rearward of the frame 101. In contrast, conventional hand trucks mountthe axle immediately adjacent to the frame (i.e., close to or in betweenthe front and rear frame portions). As shown in FIG. 6B, the distancebetween the front and rear frame portions (of left member 103 and rightmember 104) is defined as X. Due to the axle mount members 143 and 144,the distance D between the axle 141 and the front of the frame 101 isapproximately 1.5×-3×. In addition, the axle mount members 143 and 144are attached at an oblique angle relative to the frame 101 and thusrelative to the ground (i.e., neither parallel nor perpendicular). Insome embodiments, the axle mount members 143 and 144 are attached at anangle of approximately 75-89.9° with respect to the frame 101 (i.e.,0.1-15° from perpendicular) or any other appropriate angle. In someembodiments, the axle mount members 143 and 144 are attached at an angleof approximately 84° with respect to the frame 101 (i.e., 6° fromperpendicular). The distance between the axle 141 and the feet 111 and112 provides a larger more stable footprint compared to conventionalhand trucks. This larger wheelbase (compared to conventional handtrucks), which is based on the length of the axle mount members 143 and144, allows the hand truck 100 to stand upright with reduced risk offalling over. The hand truck 100 is less likely to fall over because thedistance (in a direction approximately parallel to the surface of theground) between the center of gravity of the object (such as a pane ofglass 10) and the axle 141 is increased compared to conventional handtrucks.

The hand truck 100 may include a brake mechanism that includes a pedal156, a compressible cylinder 155, and a lock bar 151. FIG. 6A shows adisengaged configuration for the brake mechanism and FIG. 6B shows anengaged configuration. As shown in FIG. 6A, the pedal 156 is in an upposition 156 a when the brake mechanism is in the disengagedconfiguration. To move the brake mechanism from the disengagedconfiguration to the engaged configuration, the user 11 pushes the pedal156 from the up position 156 a to the down position 156 b (as shown inFIG. 6B) such that the pedal 156 rotates about the axis of the lock bar151 (the lock bar 151 may or may not rotate with the pedal 156). Whenthe pedal 156 is pushed down and rotates toward the engagedconfiguration, the lock bar 151 moves from its up position 151 a(disengaged configuration, see FIG. 6A) toward its down position 151 b(engaged configuration, see FIG. 6B). In the down position 151 b, thelock bar 151 contacts at least one of the wheels 145, 146 to limitmovement of the hand truck 100. The lock bar 151 is constrained to movewithin channels 157 and 158, which limit both (i) the minimum andmaximum movement in the vertical direction (i.e., movement between theup position 151 a and the down position 151 b) and (ii) movement that isperpendicular to the frame. The brake mechanism may also include atleast one resetting portion 154 that may be pressed to move from theengaged configuration back to the disengaged configuration. In someembodiments, the compressible cylinder 155 may include a biasingmechanism (including, for example, one or more of a detent, a spring, ahydraulic cylinder, or any other appropriate mechanism) that biases thecomponents of the brake mechanism toward at least one of the disengagedconfiguration and the engaged configuration. A portion of thecompressible cylinder 155 (such as the upper end) may be attached to across member 152.

The components of the hand truck 100 may be formed of materialsincluding, but not limited to, steel, machined aluminum, carboncomposite, plastic, thermoplastic, tool steel, aluminum, stainlesssteel, other plastic or polymer materials, other metallic materials,other composite materials, or other similar materials. Moreover, thecomponents of the hand truck 100 may be attached to one another viasuitable fasteners, which include, but are not limited to, screws,bolts, rivets, welding, brazing, adhesive, or other mechanical orchemical fasteners.

Different arrangements of the components depicted in the drawings ordescribed above, as well as components and steps not shown or describedare possible. Similarly, some features and sub-combinations are usefuland may be employed without reference to other features andsub-combinations. Embodiments of the invention have been described forillustrative and not restrictive purposes, and alternative embodimentswill become apparent to readers of this patent. Accordingly, the presentinvention is not limited to the embodiments described above or depictedin the drawings, and various embodiments and modifications may be madewithout departing from the scope of the claims below.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A hand truck comprising: a frame; aplatform extending from a front side of the frame; and at least two feetattached to an underside of the platform and forward of the front sideof the frame, wherein a first foot of the at least two feet comprises afirst height, and wherein a second foot of the at least two feetcomprises a second height that is less than the first height, whereinthe hand truck comprises a standing configuration and a mobileconfiguration, wherein, in the standing configuration, the first footand the second foot contact a ground surface to support the hand trucksuch that the platform is arranged at an oblique angle with respect tothe ground surface.
 2. The hand truck of claim 1, wherein, in thestanding configuration, the hand truck is self-supporting without humanintervention.
 3. The hand truck of claim 1, wherein the at least twofeet are fixed and non-moving relative to the platform.
 4. The handtruck of claim 1, wherein, in the mobile configuration, the first footand the second foot do not contact the ground surface.
 5. The hand truckof claim 1, further comprising: a handle attached to a rear side of theframe; at least one support member attached to the front side of theframe; and an axle supporting a plurality of wheels, wherein the axle isattached to the frame.
 6. The hand truck of claim 1, wherein theplatform is arranged at an orthogonal angle relative to the frame.
 7. Ahand truck comprising: a frame comprising a front side and a back side;a platform extending from the front side of the frame; and at least onefoot attached to an underside of the platform, wherein the hand truckcomprises a standing configuration and a mobile configuration and ispivotable about a pivot axis between the standing configuration and themobile configuration, wherein the pivot axis is offset backwardsrelative to the back side of the frame and away from the front side ofthe frame, wherein, in the standing configuration, the at least one footcontacts a ground surface to support the hand truck such that theplatform is arranged at an oblique angle with respect to the groundsurface and the hand truck is self-supporting without humanintervention, wherein the at least one foot comprises a plurality offeet, wherein the plurality of feet comprises a first foot and a secondfoot, wherein the first foot comprises a first height, and wherein thesecond foot comprises a second height that is less than the firstheight.
 8. The hand truck of claim 7, wherein the at least one foot isfixed and non-moving relative to the platform.
 9. The hand truck ofclaim 7, wherein, in the mobile configuration, the at least one footdoes not contact the ground surface.
 10. The hand truck of claim 7,further comprising: a handle attached to a rear side of the frame; atleast one support member attached to the front side of the frame; and anaxle supporting a plurality of wheels, wherein the axle is attached tothe frame.
 11. The hand truck of claim 7, wherein the platform isarranged at an orthogonal angle relative to the frame.
 12. A hand truckcomprising: a frame; a platform extending from a front side of theframe; a movement mechanism supported on a back side of the frame; andat least one foot attached to an underside of the platform, wherein theat least one foot is fixed and non-moving relative to the platform,wherein the at least one foot does not include a movement mechanism ofthe hand truck, wherein the hand truck comprises a standingconfiguration and a mobile configuration, wherein, in the standingconfiguration, the at least one foot contacts a ground surface tosupport the hand truck such that the platform is arranged at an obliqueangle with respect to the ground surface, and wherein the platform isarranged at an orthogonal angle relative to the frame.
 13. The handtruck of claim 12, wherein, in the standing configuration, the handtruck is self-supporting without human intervention.
 14. The hand truckof claim 12, wherein the at least one foot comprises a plurality offeet.
 15. The hand truck of claim 14, wherein the plurality of feetcomprises a first foot and a second foot, wherein the first footcomprises a first height, and wherein the second foot comprises a secondheight that is less than the first height.
 16. The hand truck of claim12, wherein, in the mobile configuration, the at least one foot does notcontact the ground surface.
 17. The hand truck of claim 12, furthercomprising: a handle attached to a rear side of the frame; and at leastone support member attached to the front side of the frame, and whereinthe movement mechanism comprises an axle supporting a plurality ofwheels, wherein the axle is attached to the frame.